Break Down The Walls
by MeWantTitleMatch
Summary: When a storyline with Ayden Lionheart develops into something more, does Wade Barrett even stand a chance at getting through her cousin's overprotective Walls of Jericho? Wade Barrett/OC.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi everyone! This story has been kind of swirling around in my head for a little bit and I've finally gotten around to actually writing it. I'm already having a lot of fun with it seeing as I really like Wade :)**_

_**Oh, and everyone will be referred to by their ring names.**_

**Chapter 1**

"You wanted to see me, Hunter?" Wade Barrett asked as he entered the office. He was still in a pretty good mood, having just filmed another camera-stealing segment. He was hoping that Hunter wasn't about to ruin it.

"Ah, yes. Come in and have a seat." Hunter motioned him further into the room from behind his desk. Wade noticed with curiosity that Chris Jericho, his mentor from NXT, and Ayden Lionheart, Jericho's cousin, were also there. He wondered why.

"Good afternoon,Wade." Chris said, standing briefly to give him a manly hug. Ayden smiled up at him, before looking back at Hunter.

"So why are we here exactly? I have things I could be doing." Ayden sounded annoyed.

"Yeah, because fangirling over Christian is so important." Chris sneered.

"Hey, he's pretty. And you fangirl over him too so shut it." She defended.

Wade stifled a laugh as he watched the cousins bicker. They always reminded him of a pair of siblings rather cousins. He remembered watching them in the WWF back when he was younger. They were the perfect set of heels; humorous, charismatic, and extremely technically sound. Ayden was gorgeous back then with her long bright blond hair. She was pretty now too, though her hair was a little darker and shorter.

Hunter cleared his throat, shutting the two Canadians up. "I called you three in here to discuss your next storyline."

* * *

"Alright, you remember everything?" Chris asked as he did a few yoga stretches at the gorilla position. Their opponents for the night, The Miz and Dolph Ziggler, stood near the curtain and seemed to be in the middle of a heated conversation. Gina Guerrero stood next to Miz, his arm casually draped around her waist.

"Yes, Chris." Wade mumbled, pulling his coat over his shoulders. Even though he was no longer an NXT rookie, Chris still took it upon him to look out for him and give him advice. It sometimes bordered on annoying, but Wade knew it came from Chris' heart and he did appreciate it.

"And you too?" Chris directed his question to Ayden who rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Ready, Wade?" Ayden came over to him, lightly touching his arm. He looked down at her. Since she wasn't actually wrestling, she was dressed in street clothes; a pair of jeggings, high tops, and a Y2J tank top with some added light-up rhinestones.

"Of course, dear." Wade answered, trying not to look down her top. At five feet and five inches, she was a little more than a foot shorter than him and that gave him a pretty good view.

"The following contest is a tag team match scheduled for one fall. Introducing first…" Lillian's voice trailed off as Dolph's music hit and he went out. Soon after Miz's music played and he took Gina's hand before going out.

As Wade prepared to make his entrance, he caught Ayden's gaze again. They smiled at each other before he went out onto the ramp. His mind drifted to her as he threw of his coat. She had been awfully friendly since Hunter had explained the storyline, but he had figured that it was just to get used to him seeing as they would be working closely together for a couple of weeks.

"Maybe there's something there." He thought as he walked down the ramp, giving the camera an intimidating glare. "I suppose there's no harm in asking her out. If she says no, I'm sure we can just be friends. If she says yes, who knows what it could lead to."

_Break the walls down!_ His inner reverie was interrupted as his tag team partner came down the ramp. Ayden walked with him, a cocky smirk plastered on her face and her rhinestones flashing as bright as Chris's light jacket. They got in the ring and posed a little bit before Chris handed her his jacket and she jumped down to the outside.

The match went smoothly with a good back and forth momentum. Ayden and Gina had both played the part of meddling Diva very well and had wrestled a little bit on the outside. They got to the part of the match where Ayden was supposed to interfere for the win. Chris took a forearm to the face from The Miz and staggered into position. Miz climbed up onto the turnbuckle. Ayden grabbed his leg, throwing off his balance and sending him tumbling to the mat. Chris performed a perfect Codebreaker and the referee, who'd been distracted by Wade and Dolph's scuffling on the apron, turned around just in time to count the victory.

Backstage, the three came together to film a segment in which Chris was upset about Ayden interfering and Wade defending her actions. The two men had stared each other down before Chris stormed off, supposedly dragging his cousin with him. In reality he had just dragged out of camera view. Once the filming was done, he went back to his dressing room, leaving Wade and Ayden alone.

"Sometimes I can't tell where the acting ends and the real Chris Jericho begins." Wade tried to strike up conversation.

"It's impossible. He's kind of always like that, even when we were little." Ayden shrugged, hopping up on a storage box. Wade joined her. His feet actually touched the ground whereas hers dangled several inches above. "You're so tall. I look tiny compared to you."

Wade chuckled and pushed her playfully. "You're only five-five. You look tiny compared to a lot of people."

"Not Hornswoggle!" Ayden chimed and they both laughed. Her phone buzzed and she checked it, sighing as she closed it. "I've gotta go. Chris is ready to head back to the hotel." She slid off the box, using his thigh as support.

"Wait." Wade called, getting off the box as well. She turned back to him, brow arched in question. "Ayden, may I have your phone number?"

"Sure." She smiled.

_**Follows, favorites, and reviews are appreciated.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Ayden awoke with a start to the blaring sound of the alarm clock. She turned over on her stomach and reached blindly until she managed to turn off the device. She'd never had a problem waking up early until recently as her days were exhausting; media appearances, autograph signings, and of course the shows themselves. And staying up until the wee hours of the morning texting Wade certainly weren't helping.

Still half asleep, Ayden stumbled out of bed and over to her suitcase. She noted with interest that Chris wasn't in the room and that a lot of his stuff was already packed. She wondered what time he had gotten up. As she went to pull some clean clothes out of her bag, the scent of hazelnut hit her. Sure enough, on the table in the kitchenette was a Starbucks cup with a little note on top. Taking a sip of the coffee, she read the note.

_Good morning, sleepyhead! I got you your favorite coffee. I figured you'd need it since you haven't really been sleeping lately. Get off your phone, damn! Anyway if you're looking for me, I'll be with Christian. No rush, just text me whenever you're ready to go to the arena. –Chris_

Ayden gulped down the coffee, sighing as the caffeine rejuvenated her systems. She threw the empty cup in the garbage and gathered the rest of her bathing supplies before heading into the bathroom to shower. When she emerged from the bathroom, a towel around her hair, she noticed her phone flashing indicating that she had a text. She checked it and found that it was from her friend Wynter.

/Have you had breakfast yet? Sis dumped me for morning sex with John -_-/

She replied that she would be down in ten minutes and finished drying her hair. She packed up everything but the last-minute stuff and pulled on a simple dress. Grabbing her phone, she was out the door.

Balancing a plate of food in one hand and another cup of coffee in the other, Ayden made her way through the café and over to the table where her friend Wynter sat. She was quite easy to spot. The bright blue streaks in her short black hair stood out starkly against her chocolate-colored skin. Not to mention she had a tank top on and her famous swirly-pattern tattoo was clearly visible on her left bicep.

"Good morning, Mrs. Hardy." Ayden smiled as she sat down. She noted the phone in Wynter's hand. "Jeff?"

"Yeah, he had a little bit of time before he had to get on the road again." The other Diva replied, lifting her spoon and starting to dig into her oatmeal.

"It must be hard for you two to be on tour with separate companies." Ayden said with a tint of sympathy. She had seen Wynter and Jeff together on several occasions and they always looked so happy and so in love. Even now as she looked out among the other patrons in the café, she saw the newly engaged Cody Rhodes and Danni Hart snuggled up in a booth and the new couple Roman Reigns and Mina Rutten shyly holding hands over across a table. Everyone had someone to love them except her, not that it bothered her in the least. Did it?

"Yeah, sometimes it's hard, but this is our dream. It's what we've worked for all these years. And," Wynter pointed to her swirl tattoo, showing her three children's names. "It provides for these guys. The most important people in the world to us."

"Aw, you and Jeff are so right for each other." Ayden flashed the other woman a grin.

Wynter smirked and made a dismissive motion with her hand. "Whatever. Now tell me about you and Wade. I've been dying to ask you about it."

Ayden nearly choked on her food in shock. "W-what are you talking about?" she sputtered.

"Oh it must be good if you're stuttering."

"There isn't anything going on with us! We're just friends and we happen to be in a storyline together."

"A romantic storyline.

"Does it matter? It's just a storyline. You know how it is. How many times did you kiss Matt and Hunter in front of Jeff?"

"You're defending this awfully hard. You sure there's nothing going on between you two?"

"Absolutely nothing." Ayden said with resignation. At least she didn't think there was anything. Sure, they'd been spending a lot of time together both at the arenas and out and about. They'd gone for meals, movies, and random activities on more than one occasion. And they spent half the night texting each other about anything and everything. He was the majority of the reason she needed about three cups of coffee each morning. Crap, she did have a crush on Wade Barrett!

Later, at the arena, Chris and Ayden stood across from each other, getting ready to do a scene. They took a few deep breaths, putting themselves in the mindset they needed for their characters. The red light came on, signaling them to begin.

"I'm tired of you constantly interfering in my matches! Who do you think you are?" Chris shouted.

"I think I'm your cousin and I'm just trying to help you, Chris Jericho!" Ayden snapped back at him.

"I don't need your help! I'm the best in the world at what I do!"

"Please! You wouldn't have won your last three matches if it hadn't been for me!"

"Know what? This conversation is over. I'm done with you. You're on your own tonight with Danni Hart." Chris huffed, crossing his arms.

Ayden looked shocked. "But you know Cody and Damien are gonna be out there!"

"Why don't you get Wade to accompany you? You two have been so buddy-buddy lately anyway, I'm sure he'll be thrilled." Chris walked off on cue, leaving an astonished looking Ayden.

When the light went off, the two gave each other high fives and hugs. No one sold dysfunctional family as well as they did. Well maybe Undertaker, Kane, and Wynter but their whole angle was dark and evil, completely different from the arrogant humor that Ayden and Chris provided.

Heading back to her locker room, Ayden noticed Wade chatting with Justin Gabriel. She went up to them. She noticed Justin give Wade a playful smirk and wink before excusing himself.

"So Wade, we have some time before we're on." She took a deep breath and dove in before she chickened out. "Would you like to hang out with me in my locker room?"


	3. Chapter 3

_**Sorry this chapter is a tiny bit short.**_

**Chapter 3**

"Thanks so much for being at ringside for me again, Wade. It means a lot to me." Ayden said, smiling up at him. He seemed so much taller when she was standing this close to him. The proximity made her heart flutter in her chest.

"It was no problem, love. Slater can be a bit of a nuisance, especially where Joy is concerned." Wade tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Still, you didn't have to." She blushed and looked down.

He placed a finger under her chin and gently tilted her head back up. "I wanted to."

They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments before Ayden leaned up on her tip toes, closing her eyes. Wade leaned down and closed the still considerable difference between them, bringing his lips to hers. His hands went around her waist and her hands slid around his neck. She tilted her head, deepening the kiss. The world melted away; there was just them and their moment.

"Cut!" the director called, startling the two apart. "Nice improv there. I almost believed it was a real kiss."

"Yeah, improv." Ayden sighed, touching her lips dreamily.

"Well if that's all you need, I'm going back to my locker room to change." Wade picked up his coat and started to leave the filming room.

Ayden grabbed his arm. Her face was still a bit flushed. "Can I…can I come by later?

Wade tilted his head in confusion. "Of course. You know where it is."

"Okay." Ayden wrapped her arms around him affectionately and leaned up to give him a peck on the lips before bounding off.

Why did Wade suddenly feel like he was in a relationship that he knew nothing about?

"Dude, I saw that kiss! Looked like you were about ready to start ripping her clothes off!" The Miz said from his spot on the leather couch in the locker room. He'd already showered and changed into street clothes.

"It wasn't even supposed to happen. She just kinda leaned in and I went with it." Wade retorted, going into his bags for an outfit.

"Well scripted or not, that kiss was sizzling!" Miz turned so he was leaning over the back of the couch. "Are you together?"

"No. That's ridiculous." Wade pulled out his shaving kit and headed for the showers.

"Are you fucking?"

"Even more ridiculous!" Wade called from inside the showers. The sound of running water halted any further questions from Miz.

"Oh Wade, look who's here to see you!" Miz said in a fake loving tone when Wade emerged from the shower, freshly washed and changed. Ayden sat on the couch next to Miz. She had changed into a pink top and jeans and she looked incredibly uncomfortable.

"Hi Wade…" she whispered nervously.

"Hi yourself." Wade said, giving Miz a sidelong 'get out' look. The other man threw his hands up in retreat and left, mumbling something about spending some time with Gina.

"All the Divas were buzzing about our kiss." Ayden curled a piece of her hair around her finger.

"Yeah? It seems Miz is even more of a Diva than I thought. That's the first thing he asked about when I came in here." Wade chuckled. He noticed a bruise forming on Ayden's throat, most likely from her math with Joy Layfield. She was built like her father JBL and could deliver a very powerful Clothesline From Hell. "Here, let me get you some ice for that."

He prepared an ice bag for her and she pressed it to her throat, sighing as the cool temperature took some of the soreness away. She leaned into his chest, crossing her legs and tucking them under her on the couch. His arm went around her shoulders, bringing her closer. Again Wade felt like he was in a relationship he didn't know about.

"Wade?" Ayden's soft voice broke his thoughts. "Why do you call me 'love' all the time?"

Wade arched a brow. "Term of endearment I suppose."

"Oh." Ayden looked almost sad. "I thought it meant…never mind."

"You thought it meant what?"

"That you liked me." She all but whispered.

"I do like you. You're one of the few Divas that doesn't get on my bloody nerves."

"I mean like like…"

"Are we in grade school again?" Wade chuckled. "How about this? Ayden Lionheart, will you be my girlfriend?"

"Of course!" Ayden beamed up at him.

Wade smiled back before pulling her up for a kiss. She moved so she was straddling his lap, deepening the kiss. He pulled her flush to his body, his hands roaming everywhere along her back and hair. He slipped one hand up under her shirt and just as his fingers reached the clasp to her bra, the locker room door swung open.

"What the fuck is going on?!" came an incredibly irate and immediately recognizable voice.

Ayden gasped. "Chris!"


	4. Chapter 4

_**I'm a fan of using texts and Facebook as plot devices. Sue me XD**_

**Chapter 4**

"I'll ask again. What. The fuck. Is going on?" Chris repeated in a steely voice. His eyes were like blue daggers as he glared at the couple. If looks could kill, they'd both be six feet under.

Ayden fixed her shirt and scrambled off Wade's lap onto the couch. "Ch-Chris, we were just-"

"Shut up. I'll talk to you later." Chris shot at her, turning his attention to Wade. He stalked toward him angrily until he was standing right in front of the man. Ayden had never seen such a look of nervousness in Wade's eyes before. He was usually the one instilling the nervousness in others. "What the hell, man?"

Wade held up his hands in surrender. "Look Chris, it's not what you think."

"Really now?" Chris arched a brow. "Well then please explain to me exactly what it is. Cause I'm pretty sure I just walked in on you making out with my little cousin, about to do her in the locker room like some two-dollar whore."

"Chris." Chris shot Ayden another look, but she was determined that he was going to hear her. "He wasn't going to do anything like that. Wade's nothing like that!"

"Bullshit! All men are like that." He crossed his arms. She belatedly noticed that he was still in his wrestling gear from earlier. "And you would think that after what happened with Hurricane, you'd be a little more cautious."

Ayden looked away. Wade gently patted her on the arm, much to Chris's chagrin, before looking somewhat up at him. "With all due respect sir, Ayden and I just started dating literally about ten minutes ago. Nothing serious was going to happen."

Chris smirked. "Good. And nothing ever will. This relationship is over. Now we still have some more time left with this storyline, but unless it is work-related, I don't even want to see you near Ayden. Understand?" Chris turned his attention to his cousin. "You. Pack up your things. We're leaving." He grabbed her by the arm, yanking her hand out of Wade's with just a little more force than necessary, and led her from the locker room.

Later in the hotel room, Chris had softened up considerably. They went out to her favorite restaurant for dinner and he turned on his charm. When she challenged him, he defended his actions by saying that they were out of love and that he only wanted to protect her from more heartbreak.

"You'll see, it's all for the best. Now don't stay up too late. Gotta get an early start tomorrow. Good night." Chris cooed, kissing her on the cheek before heading into his bedroom of their suite.

"Whatever." Ayden grumbled, setting up her laptop. Despite Chris's efforts at justifying himself, she was still in quite a sour mood; a mixture of anger and sadness. What right did Chris have to barge in on her personal life? She liked Wade and he liked her; they were both adults capable of making their own decisions. She wasn't the little girl running up to Big Cousin Chris to kill a spider that had landed on her tea table. She was a grown woman!

She pulled up her internet browser, deciding to lazily surf. She watched a couple of her old matches that people had uploaded and read a few new entries on her favorite blogs. She was lost in a sea of hair care tips when her phone buzzed, indicating a text.

She checked the clock on her computer. It was a little after one in the morning. "Who's texting me at this ungodly hour?" She wondered as she checked the phone. It was Wade.

/Hey…are you still up?/

She carefully considered if she wanted to answer him or not. Answering the text meant talking to him and that meant possibly incurring Chris's wrath, either on her or him. It also meant that she could talk to the guy she really liked and had even been starting to fall for. On the other hand, ignoring the text meant that Chris had won and she wasn't about to let that happen. Pulling up the text window, she responded to him.

/Yeah, can't sleep./

A couple of seconds later, another text hit her inbox.

/Me neither. Every time I close my eyes, I think about you./

A twinge of guilt shot through Ayden's heart as she typed.

/I'm sorry, really I am. Chris is just very, very protective./

She drummed her fingers idly on the keypad of her laptop, her hair care blog all but forgotten. Suddenly she heard a pop sound, indicating on message on Facebook. She'd forgotten that she had decided to also check her personal and fan pages as well. She clicked on the tap and brought up the chat window, making sure that she also muted the volume.

Wade: Sorry about this. My phone was dying.

Ayden: No problem…again, I apologize for Chris's behavior.

Wade: He's not the first overprotective male relative I've come across. Though he is the first to really shake me up. He looked like he was about to rip my head off!

Ayden: Yeah, he's a handful. When I was in high school and he was home from one of his wrestling tours, he thought my boyfriend touched me inappropriately and knocked the guy out.

Wade: Good lord. Well I can see where he's coming from.

Ayden: What do you mean?

Wade: You're very beautiful with a wonderful personality to boot. And you can kick ass in the ring. Any man would be lucky to have you.

Ayden's heart fluttered in her chest as she read his last message. She thought for a couple moments before she wrote back. It was her decision who she wanted to date and Chris had no right to interfere.

Ayden: But I don't want any guy. I want you, Wade. I want to be your girlfriend.

Wade: But Chris?

Ayden: Screw Chris! This isn't about him…it's about us.

Wade: I don't want to come between you and your cousin…baby, maybe you should think about this some before we start trying to create a secret Romeo and Juliet romance.

Ayden:…fine. I'll sleep on it, but we're going to talk first think in the morning. Meet me in the café at 8 o'clock. I'll take care of Chris, just show up. Good night.

Wade: Good night, love.

She signed off and shut down her laptop, sticking it in its travel case before heading into her bedroom. As she lay in her bed, she thought about what she was about to do. So she had to sneak in order to see the man who'd quickly become such an important part in her life. Sooner or later, these Walls of Jericho would have to come down.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Good morning, Wade." Ayden smiled cheerfully as he sat down across from her. She was already working on her second cup of coffee and the caffeine seemed to be doing its job.

"Good morning, love." Hesitantly he leaned over the table and kissed her cheek. "I am quite curious. How did you sneak out on Chris?"

Ayden shrugged nonchalantly. "I saw he had his laptop in his bedroom last night so I knew he'd been video chatting with his wife. I texted Luxury this morning and asked her to keep him occupied with some Skype sex. He was still rather busy when I left so we should be good."

"You're evil." Wade chuckled.

"I try." Ayden smirked.

Wade suddenly became serious. "So I take it you really want to go through with this? I mean, I want to be with you, but not if it's going to cause a rift between you and your family."

"Wade, I want to be with you." Ayden's expression changed, though hers was a more whimsical one. "Plus I think it'll be fun. It'll be like being teenagers again."

"Okay, love." Wade sighed. "Whatever you want."

Hiding their relationship wasn't as difficult as they thought it would be. With so much going on backstage and so many people coming and going, it was a breeze to catch a few moments alone. They would film their segments, adding the passion of a real-life secret to their storyline romance. They accompanied each other to the ring and did more than what was asked of them in the script. Ayden was very thankful for this storyline; the angle allowed her to basically flaunt her forbidden boyfriend in Chris's face.

"I love you." Wade said lazily as he stroked her hair. She was draped across his larger frame as they sat on the couch in her locker room.

Ayden sat up quickly. That was the first time either of them had said the L-word in the course of their relationship and the first time a man had said that to her since Hurricane. A blush spread across her cheeks as she whispered, "I love you too."

He kissed her gently on the lips and pulled her close. They stayed like that for a few moments until Wade broke the silence. "I know this is a terribly rotten time to ask, but what exactly happened with Hurricane Helms?" He felt her tense in his arms and he rushed to soothe her. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"It's okay. You have a right to know." She shifted so that she was laying with her head in his lap, his hand still playing with her hair. "Well Hurricane and I were in a relationship, both storyline and in real life and much like this one, Chris didn't like it. He tried time and time again to get me to break up with him, but I was blinded by love. I wanted to believe that Hurricane was my Mr. Right. He treated me so well, showered me with love and affection. He was the perfect boyfriend…until it came to his European Championship."

Ayden closed her eyes, trying not to let the memories overtake her. After a couple minutes, she continued. "Hurricane was very upset that creative had made him drop his title to Chris so during their rivalry, he began overdoing his scenes. Eventually there was a segment where they taped us making out so it could air during their championship match; it would distract Chris so Hurricane could do a small package pin."

"I take it Hurricane got more than just a makeout session on camera." Wade commented when she paused again.

She blinked a few times to clear away tears. "He started…doing other stuff so I figured the cameras were done rolling. But they weren't; he had one of his camera crew friends leave a video recorder in the room and it got everything. So during the match, the makeout session aired as planned and Chris acted surprised. But then the other portion of the tape came on. Completely caught off guard, he was unprepared to correctly sell the pin, botched it, and ended up getting his shoulder dislocated." The tears started rolling. "So basically the entire WWE universe got to see my sextape and I cost my cousin six months of action."

"Baby, it wasn't your fault. You didn't know he had a recorder in the locker room. You thought it was just you and him." Wade comforted her as her tears began to subside. "As for Chris, I doubt he blames you for that. I'll bet money he was more concerned about your psyche than his shoulder…although to be honest, what you just told me really explains his behavior toward me."

"He's paranoid about something like that happening again so he doesn't like me dating superstars…" Ayden sniffed, burying her head in his chest. He held her for a little bit, wiping away her tears, until her name was called over the intercom. He'd completely forgotten that she had a match.

"That's me." Ayden gave a shaky smile as she grabbed her paw-printed vest. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and left out the door. Wade was just about to head back to his own locker room when the door opened again, revealing Chris Jericho.

"Hello, Wade." Chris said in a mildly pleasant tone. He looked around the room. "Enjoying your little secret romance with my cousin?"

Wade blanched. They'd been so careful!

Chris waved a dismissive hand. "Look, I've had my buddies looking out and they've told me that you've been nothing but a gentleman and that my…worries were unfounded."

Was he seeing a crack in the Walls of Jericho? Wade found his voice again. "If you're talking about what happened with Hurricane Helms…yes, she told me about it. And no, I'd never do anything like that to hurt her."

Chris smile tightly. "I would hope not. I bet she didn't tell you the whole story." He paused and continued when Wade looked dumbfounded. "After the incident, she was so full of self-loathing, blaming herself for my injury and thinking the WWE universe saw her as a slut…she started hitting the bottle hard. She sank into such a pit of alcoholism and depression that she was released from her contract so her family could put her in rehab. It took almost a year and a half for her to pull herself back together and come back."

"Chris, I…"Wade started, but Chris silenced him with a look.

"All I'm saying is…don't fuck with her, because you aren't the one that will have to pick up the pieces and clean up the mess you leave behind."

_**Aww looks like Chris is starting to come around.**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Oh please, Brie. These ass clowns want to see a real Divas match, not some prissy little slut contest. Why don't you run on back to the locker room and see if you can rustle me up a real woman?" Ayden mocked as she circled around Brie Bella. The Bella glared at her as the crowd cheered. Wade was standing ringside and had an amused smirk plastered on his face.

Backstage, Chris watched on one of the monitors, chuckling at his cousin as she insulted Brie and riled up the crowd. He noticed how Wade was watching her, like she was the only woman in the world. He'd done a very good job of proving himself over the past two weeks and Chris was actually starting to trust him. In fact, Ayden and Wade had gotten a hotel room together and he hadn't said a word. Lost in his thoughts, he barely heard Christian sidle up to him.

"Did she just call the crowd ass clowns?" Christian asked, taking a handful of Chris's popcorn. Chris nodded, already shifting the popcorn bag to a more comfortable position so that his friend could help himself.

They turned their attention back to the monitor as "Rawkfist" by Thousand Foot Krutch started to play. Out came Wynter along with Justin Gabriel. Hunter had been pushing them as an on-screen face couple to counter Ayden and Wade. So far it had been working. Justin and Wynter had good chemistry and if Chris hadn't known about Indigo or Jeff, he would've believed that they were a real-life couple as well.

"You said you want a real woman? You got one." Wynter glared down at Ayden. Brie took the time to slip out of the ring and back up the entrance ramp. "What's the matter, Ayden? Lion got your tongue?"

"Damn." Christian commented, still munching on popcorn.

"I'm sorry. I was too busy staring at that cheap dye-job you call hair." Ayden smirked. The two women stared each other down for a few seconds, their male companions giving each other wary eyes as well, until Brad Maddox appeared.

"You know what? I've been watching backstage and I've decided to make this a mixed tag match…and it starts right now! Get me a ref out here!" Brad called. A referee jogged to the ring and Wade and Justin hopped up on opposite corners of the apron. Ayden backhanded Wynter and the match began.

"I think I say this every time I see her wrestle, but damn if she doesn't remind me of you." Christian said, turning to his friend.

Chris chuckled. "Who do you think trained her? Why, I even taught her how to tie that ridiculous top knot."

"You mean your fancy-smancy "European hairstyle"?" Christian made a flourish with his hand.

"The one and the same. By the way, who's supposed to win this match? I didn't' have time to go over this part of the script." Chris winced as Wynter delivered a drop kick to Ayden.

"I don't know." Christian moved to throw away the empty popcorn box. "To be honest, Cherish and I just got here before they went on. We got…caught up in some things at the hotel. Don't look at me like that."

Chris shook his head. "Guess we just watch and see."

The match continued with good momentum on both ends. There were several close calls with pins and Ayden managed to get Wynter in the Walls of Jericho. She added more pressure and just as Wynter looked like she was about to tap, Justin pulled her off his partner. Ayden slid over to her corner and tagged in Wade, automatically making Justin legal. They fought, both Divas getting in their own jabs here and there.

"This is a really good match up. Brad is already doing better than Vickie." Chris said. Christian nodded.

Finally Ayden grabbed Justin's arms and held him open against the ropes. She'd already taken out Wynter with an enzuigiri. Wade braced himself against the ropes before coming at Justin with a big boot, but Justin ducked out of the way at the last moment and Wade's boot collided with Ayden's face, sending her down to the floor in a crumpled heap. Wade looked over the rope at her in disbelief but managed to deliver a Bullhammer to Justin and won the match. He slid out of the ring and down to Ayden's side, signaling for the medics.

"I don't think that was planned. He looks way too concerned, Chris…Chris?" Christian turned around just in time to see his friend running toward the gorilla position.

* * *

"Lay her down there, Chris." Ayden was faintly aware of people speaking around her, though their voices sounded distorted, almost as if they were in a wind tunnel. She felt strong arms place her on one of the infirmary beds. She could tell it was Chris from the smell of his cologne.

She felt hands checking her everywhere before focusing on her neck, head, and face. She figured it must be Dr. Amman but she didn't open her eyes. The pounding in her head was too painful. She could hear her cousin and boyfriend arguing however.

"Really? Really, Wade?! Big boot to the face? Boy, you sure know how to show a girl love!" Chris angrily whispered. He was trying his hardest to not raise his voice.

"I didn't mean to! It was an accident. Justin was only supposed to struggle, not duck." Wade sighed.

"Well way to go, jackass!" Chris shouted before lowering his voice again. "I was starting to trust you. You know, I was starting to think that maybe you weren't so bad and that I could let my guard down…then you go and kick my cousin in the face."

"Chris, I'm so sorry…"

"Shut it, Wade." The rapid pace of his footsteps made it sound like he was pacing. "I should have followed my first mind. This is my fault. No more. I'm not going to let anyone else hurt Ayden. As of right now, this relationship is over. I don't want you near her."

"Chris?" It was Dr. Amman. "I have some bad news. Ayden has a severe concussion and will need to be out for several weeks."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Ugh, Chris is such a jerk!" Ayden shouted, wincing as pain shot through her still tender skull. Rubbing her temple, she reached for the glass of water sitting on the counter and the two small pills next to it. Downing them, she leaned back against the refrigerator and waited for the headache medicine to take effect.

"You sure you don't want to lay back down?" Cherish asked, looking up from her fashion magazine. Her long, bright blond hair was pulled up into a twist on the back of her head and she was jotting things down in a small notepad, probably design ideas for her dress shop.

Ayden shook her head. She'd been home for almost a week and this was the first day that she'd been conscious for more than a few hours. Things were still a bit hazy, but when with the medicine Dr. Amman had prescribed, she was able to stay somewhat alert and move about. Since Cherish was already semi-retired as a diva and her and Christian's home was not far from her apartment, she had been coming over every day to check on her at the request of Chris and Christian. Even though she'd never say it to Chris's face, she was appreciative of Cherish's company, especially since she had flat out refused to go home for her recovery.

Chris had tried his best to convince her to go back to her parents' home in Winnipeg. She'd briefly considered it; it had been a while since she had spent a lot of time with her mom and dad. But then she thought about her sisters. Her oldest sister Zoey would have been pleasant and, much like Cherish, been content to just sit and talk and occasionally remind her to eat, but Zoey was with her husband who was stationed in Germany.

Charlotte and Hannah would swoop in and take the time to try and pry any personal information about the other superstars and divas out of her. Charlotte ran a gossip blog in her spare time and would've loved to have a primary source right there in the house. Hannah, the loose one among the four sisters, would insist on trying to find out which superstars were single and then try to get contact information from her. Nope, it was definitely easier for Ayden to just go back to her own apartment in Florida.

Some of her headache gone, Ayden made her way gingerly to the couch in the living room. When she had first seen the couch, the black and white spirals were appealing. Now she was starting to regret them. Cherish joined her, leaving her magazine behind. Sitting this close to her, Ayden could definitely see just how much Cherish looked like her older brother Edge; the same wavy hair, green eyes, and jawline. They could've been twins.

"Cherish, how did you and Christian get Edge to come around?" Ayden asked, remembering a conversation they'd had earlier when she'd brought up how much she missed Wade. Chris was doing a damn good job keeping them from having any contact with each other.

"Well, Edge absolutely hated the idea of his best friend dating his little sister. He carried on for a while, much like Chris is doing now, but Christian and I loved each other and we refused to let him interfere." Cherish giggled and blushed a bit. "He also caught us having sex once and that may have just hit the nail on the head for him that our relationship was real."

"Cherish." Ayden glared at her.

The other woman composed herself. "Right. Point is, you and Wade need to talk to Chris together and let him know that you love each other and that all this bullshit he's pulling isn't going to do anything but drive a wedge between you and him. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't want that." She glanced at her watch. "I have to go get Noah from school. You want to come with?"

"Nah, don't think I can take the motion of the car. Especially with your driving." Ayden smirked. Cherish rolled her eyes and left.

Ayden reached for her computer bag and set up her laptop on the coffee table. She clicked around, checking on important stuff like her bills and car notes. She answered a few fan questions on Facebook and then pulled up her personal email inbox. She saw a couple of unopened messages, including one from Cody Rhodes and one from Chris. She opened Cody's first. It was an invitation to a pool party that he and Danni were throwing next week. She marked it; if she was feeling up to it, she definitely wanted to go. Sighing, she pulled up Chris's message:

_Ayden,_

_I thought this would be an easier way to talk to you since you'd probably cuss me out if we talked on the phone or Skype…anyway I wanted to apologize for the way I've been acting. I was wrong. Wade has been an absolute wreck without you here. He's been doing everything halfheartedly. He doesn't so much as look at any other women; he still considers himself taken. He asks about you every day; how you're doing and when it looks like you'll be able to come back. Wade's really in love with you…and I know you're in love with him. _

_I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for standing in your way. And to make it up to you, I have a surprise. Come to Cody's party and you'll see what it is._

_-C. Jericho_

Ayden leaned back into the couch, considering it for a few seconds before she got up and marked the date of the party on the calendar hanging on the wall. She smirked to herself. "Well Cody, you can expect an extra shot of Jerichohol at your party."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"How do I look?" Ayden asked, turning in a full circle in front of her mirror. She'd picked a red and white striped tankini. She had a little bit of pudge on her hips and wasn't comfortable exposing her entire midriff.

"You look great. Nice cleavage." Cherish said from her chair. Her cover-up robe was open and Ayden could see the metallic purple bikini underneath. She could only hope to have a body that good when she was forty.

"Alright then." Ayden took another nervous look in the mirror before brushing her hair back into a ponytail and grabbing her sarong. "Let's go."

At Cody and Danni's house, the pool party was in full swing. Music was pumping, food and decorations were set out, a very cute young man was tending the bar, and all the superstars and divas were socializing with each other both in and out of the pool. There was a game of chicken going on and the last two teams were Indigo and Justin and Gina and The Miz. Ayden giggled as Indigo toppled Gina and sent water splashing everywhere.

"Hey Ayden," Danni said, coming up behind her. "Glad you could make it. How's your head doing?"

"Thanks for inviting me. And it's doing pretty well. Had a checkup with the doctor yesterday. Looks like I'll be cleared next week. I gotta say, I can't wait to get back in the ring." Ayden responded, looking around at the people. She really missed her road family. Her fellow Canadian smiled fondly before excusing herself to answer Cody. Ayden continued to take in the scene.

She spotted The Shield and their ladies all lounging in the pool chairs. Dean and Devyn, as usual, looked like they couldn't decide whether to hold hands or choke each other while Sugar and Mina were casually draped over Seth and Roman. Randy Orton and his sister Miki were cooking on the grill. Cherish and Christian were feeding each other pineapples like a couple of teenagers. Wynter was hanging out with Aksana and Naomi in the hot tub, occasionally rolling her eyes at her sister Liberty who looked about five seconds away from fucking John Cena in the shallow end of the pool. Ayden decided to join them.

"Ayden! How are you?" Aksana asked in her thick Lithuanian accent.

"I'm well. I dig the new silver cat suit, by the way." Ayden answered, taking a sip of the lemonade she'd grabbed on her way over to the hot tub.

"When are you coming back?" Naomi chimed.

"Possibly next week. I wonder what kind of return I'll have."

"Rematch against me, perhaps?" Wynter laughed, downing the rest of her martini.

"I'd like that. Only this time, I don't want to eat Wade's boot. That shit hurt." Ayden smirked and the other three women giggled.

"Ayden, Danni says she needs your help inside." Heath Slater said, indicating the house. Ayden frowned and lifted herself out of the hot water.

"Danni, what's up?" Ayden called as she entered the house through the sliding screen door. Several people were hanging out inside as well.

"Hey monkey." A familiar voice came from behind her. She turned to the breakfast nook and behind it stood Chris, a bemused smirk plastered on his face.

Having forgiven Chris, and also wanting to know what her surprise was, she matched his smirk. "'Sup, ass clown?"

He came around the nook and gave her a big hug, apologizing to her again and again before beckoning to something behind her. Confused, she turned to follow his gaze and came face to face, well more like face to chest, with Wade Barrett.

He held a rose out to her. "Good afternoon, love." Oh, how she missed his accent!

"Wade!" she exclaimed, not believing it was real. She turned back to Chris who gave her a smile and a nudge forward before leaving them alone. She grinned before jumping up on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He was a bit startled but his hands slid under her thighs, keeping her supported and upright. "Wade, I missed you so much!"

"And I missed you, my love." He brought his lips to hers in a sweet kiss that slowly progressed into something more. A week and a half of no contact erupted into a passionate exchange, broken only when the need for oxygen arose. Even then, she rested her forehead against his, wanting as much contact with him as possible.

"I love you so much, Wade Barrett." Ayden said quietly, staring into his eyes.

"I love you too, Ayden Lionheart." Wade whispered, bringing his lips to hers again.

Everything else melted away and there was only them, their moment, their love, and the realization that Wade had achieved something that no other man had even come close to.

He'd broken down the walls.

_**Well, that's it for Wade and Ayden. Thank you guys so much for the favorites, follows, and reviews! It makes me so happy to know that you're enjoying reading my stories as much as I'm enjoying writing them. So what's next? I have a few ideas swirling around, most likely a Christian and Cherish, Cody Rhodes and Danni Hart, or The Miz and Gina Guerrero story. And of course, I'm open to one shots and suggestions. Till then, thanks again for all the support!**_

_**-Spence.**_


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